Investigation is confident that the Colonel could not commit official crimes on such scale and collected the unprecedented amount of cash on his own.

The investigative team on Dmitry Zakharchenko criminal case comprised of dozens of MIA Department for Internal Security, FSB, and ICR officers, is conducting a detailed review of all cases led by the colonel and the Department he used to head.

Life.ru reported that investigation does not believe Zakharchenko could conduct his elaborate illegal operations on his own, and there is every reason for this. 120 million dollars and 2 million euros seized on September 8, 2016 during the searches in the Moscow apartment owned by the police officer's sister could not be obtained without accomplices, investigation officers believe.

The investigation's version about Zakharchenko's accomplices at the MIA is confirmed by the fact that during the search of the Colonel's apartment and office, official documents on the activities of different companies and businessmen were found. Zakharchenko would not be able to take away the secret documents from the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs without accomplices.

“One would need partners to knock up a fortune like that (let us recall that the seized amount equals to 8.5 billion rubles); it is impossible to do on your own. At interrogation sessions, Zakharchenko stated that the money does not belong to him; when offered cooperation with the investigation, he refers to Art. 51 of the Constitution, according to which citizens of the Russian Federation are allowed not to incriminate themselves. So he remains silent,” investigation team representative told Life.ru.

“The investigators will search for possible compliances entrenched in the Anti-Corruption Administration Central Office upon completion of the official inspection of the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Administration ordered on September 13, 2016” by Vladimir Kolokolcev, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation,” said a newspaper’s informer.

Scale of the investigation is large, according to the newspaper. The work is very hard, too. Investigators interrogate all the people who have ever worked with the colonel. This includes employees of the Department M concerned with corruption in metal industry and Department T managed by the Colonel prior to his arrest.

The investigators questioned dozens of police officers over the last 2 days. They all had previously worked with Mr Zakharchenko in different Departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The investigators say they are currently carefully examining the Colonel’s circle of contacts. They are also currently confiscating documents from the Departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation located on Zhitnaya and Novoryazanskaya Streets. They may help in landing the accomplices.

Mikhail Pashkin, the coordinator of the Interregional Moscow Police Union Coordination Council, has earlier mentioned in his interview to the Govorit Moskva radio station hat the colonel’s colleagues and subordinates from the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation could have been linked to his illegal activities. The Colonel could not have gathered that much money without help of his colleagues and subordinates interested in his success, he said in his interview on September 10, on the day following the colonel’s arrest.

“The prison term will be much longer if he denounces his accomplices, since his crime will then be qualified as a gang one. Moreover, I think his accomplices may very well be people in power, since he was concerned with fuel and energetics. Everyone involved with the fields are high-ranking people. I think the investigators know where to look since there are FSB officials involved with the investigation”, said Pashkin.

"Untouchable" Colonel

It is possible Dmitry Zakharchenko had high-ranking patrons in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and other governmental agencies. A story published by the Kommersant newspaper today gives indirect evidence in favor of such a theory. The newspaper backed the story up with a reference to its informer.

Denis Sugrobov in the Basmanny District Court

Denis Sugrobov, the former Head of the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, who is now under investigation on the allegation of Creation of a Criminal Community and Participation Therein, wanted to ask Dmitry Zakharchenko a couple of questions after becoming the Head of the Anti-Corruption Administration Central Office. Mr Zakharchenko worked at the Department P at the time. He was concerned with investigating consumer market crimes.

Mr Sugrobov wanted to dismiss him but could not due to his personal data file containing a so called red corner, a specific mark meaning someone is “untouchable”, according to the newspaper. Such a mark indicates an employee’s special status and possible link to secret services, the newspaper emphasizes.

He quietly sat on the sidelines

There is yet another case directly related to Mr Zakharchenko and described in the Kommersant newspaper. This time, it is concerned with his work as the provisional Head of the Department T of the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Astemir Sokurov, a Department T field officer, being arrested in a Moscow café back in 2015 on the allegation of 500-thousand-dollar fraud against the Moscow United Power Grid Company JSCo caused another corruption scandal concerning the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. Sokurov was later sentenced to 6 years in medium-security prison.

Zakharckenko was in the same café, sitting at a neighboring table, when his subordinate was arrested, the newspaper points out. However, he was not connected to the case at all, even as a witness.

Andrey Kurnosenko, the Head of the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation

Let us recall that the Major-General Andrey Kurnosenko, the Head of the General Administration for Economic Security and Combatting the Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and Zakharchenko’s superior, left the office before the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation scheduled an inspection, unlike his former subordinate.

The Anti-Corruption Administration Central Office may be disbanded, according to people concerned with Zakharchenko’s case. Alternatively, it may be subject to profound rebranding. It will then be restructured and renamed.

May we remind you, 8.5 billion rubles were found in Mr Zakharchenko’s stepsister house following his arrest.

Moreover, as it turned out, Viktor Zakharchenko, the colonel’s father, has six bank accounts in Swiss banks. The total sum stored on them amounts to about 300 million euros. Colonel’s immediate family owns lots of elite Moscow apartments, too.

The Colonel is accused of abuse of office, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Mr Zakharchenko claims he is innocent and does not have anything to do with the money found. He also says he knows who is behind his setup. Dmitry promised to reveal it during the upcoming Moscow City Court sitting on September 22, when his attorney at law will appeal him having been detained and his immediate family apartments been searched.